In need of a Doctor
by AceyJacey
Summary: Before Vastra became a Madame, she was a Silurian that resented humans. The Doctor and Jenny helped her to see the love that can exist between the two races.
1. Chapter 1

In need of a Doctor

A/N: I loved Madame Vastra and Jenny in "A good man goes to war". It really got me thinking of how many adventures they must have had together in Victorian England so this is how Vastra met the Doctor and Jenny and became a detective. Hopefully more to come. By the way, this is set during the time when the 10th Doctor was travelling by himself. It seemed better to have a compnionless Doctor. The story also jumps from after Vastra has met the Doctor to flashbacks of how she met him.

Synopsis: Before Vastra became a Madame, she was a Silurian that resented humans. The Doctor and Jenny helped her to see the love that can exist between the two races. Chapter 1 is completed.

Vastra hurried across the busy road, narrowly avoiding a thundering carriage. The clop of the horses' hooves and the rattle from the rumbling carriages was too loud. Everything about the surface was too noisy. She had hoped to find a home for herself but the humans were everywhere. Greedy and selfish, not caring about any creature but themselves. The horses were a fine example: chained to a life of servitude for nothing but a bit of hay and the occasional carrot. Disgusting.

xxxxx

After awakening from her hibernation pod, Vastra realised that she was the only conscious Silurian. All the others were still sleeping and since she could find no way of freeing them, she decided to go to the surface in hope of finding a place for her people to live when they awoke.

She used a teleport device that took her to a small monitoring room not far from the surface. An old elevator lifted her up to a network of tunnels that were completely full of disgusting, stinking water. Rats nimbly ran along narrow walkways making the Silurian's stomach growl. However she wasn't hungry enough to eat a sewage munching mammal yet.

Spotting a ladder leading up to a dim light above, Vastra crossed a bridge to reach it. Grimacing when she touched the slimy rungs, she climbed up until she struck her head on the metal door in the ceiling. Lifting it up slightly, she flinched as a powerful light hit her eyes.

A smile came to her lips as she peered out into the open and saw the sun beaming down. It was as beautiful as she'd been told when she was just a hatchling. Her smile disappeared though as her eyes fell on the humans that scurried about.

The ground she had come out from wasn't natural at all. It was too perfectly flat and she couldn't see any of the soft green plant that was so common on the surface. Black poles sprung out of the ground, their tops held a strange fire within.

Anger flooded her cold veins. The humans were allowed to live on the warm surface while she and her people were forced to live in cold dark caves. What had the humans done with their gift though? They had taken a beautiful world and changed it for their own needs. The soft green plant had been replaced by a hard rock and they even made their own fire when they had the sun.

A scream rang out from behind her so she turned and met the gaze of a human child. Her tongue flew out as she hissed before slamming the trapdoor shut.

The child's voice could be dimly heard yelling out. "But mummy, it's true. I saw an alligator look out from the man hole."

His mother shook her head before pulling her son away. "Alligators in the sewer? Whatever next I wonder."

Dropping to the sewer floor below, Vastra leant against the grimy wall. A single tear fell as she felt the pain that her home was suffering. Wiping both the tear and sadness away, she headed back to the monitoring room. The humans would pay for this, in blood.

xxxxx

A tattered poster lay trampled on the ground. Bending down to pick it up, Vastra saw a rather vicious looking male human glaring at her. The words beneath the picture read "Wanted for the murder and robbery of the Darchund family and the kidnapping of their servant."

The reward was apparently the Darchunds estate and entire fortune. An idea sprang to Vastra's mind. She needed somewhere to live and this offered that and so much more. Maybe she could find a purpose in this mammal infested world.

Wrapping her cloak more firmly around herself, she set off in direction of the Darchund house.

xxxxx

Tapping a few keys on the computer's screen, Vastra saw the sewer network spring up in front of her eyes. Scanning the map closely, she smiled evilly when she saw the flashing red dots of her prey. Ignoring the gun that was hung on the wall, she entered the elevator. She wouldn't need any weapons, not when revenge tasted better from your bare hands.

The lights from her scanner flashed eerily in the gloom of the tunnels. She didn't need to see though, not when her tongue could string together a visual picture of the sewers by taste alone. It wasn't long before she found her prey. She had barely glanced at the map on the scanner at all. Even without technology, Silurians were dangerous foes.

Vastra licked her lips in anticipation as she saw the humans clear a blocked tunnel of debris from a collapsed wall. As she prepared to step into the light of their lantern, a man burst into sight from another tunnel.

Tasting the air, Vastra hissed quietly from the strangers scent. He reeked of science and confidence. His long brown coat tasted mostly non-human but still human enough to show that this man was a common tourist of the people he resembled.

It didn't matter though. He would be permanently removed from her planet as well as the humans. She silently crept into the dim glow of the lantern. The workers stopped arguing with the stranger when they laid their eyes on her.

Letting out a scream, one of the workers attempted to run past her. Too slow for she quickly stepped in front of his path and, grabbing his stained shirt, she threw him against the wall. He slumped there unmoving.

Vastra's sharp teeth grinned maliciously. "No need to be scared, boys. I'm just wondering where a girl can get a bite to eat."

The rest of the workers grabbed a work tool and started to smash through the collapsed tunnels in hope of escape. The stranger however looked at her and smiled sadly.

"Ok, I know you're scared but I can help you get back home." His smile calmed her slightly but not enough to stop her attack. "I'm the Doctor, what's your name?"

"My name is Vastra and I have come to give the revenge of my people to the humans." Vastra snarled.

The Doctor had expected this. "I understand your pain, Vastra. To find your home over run by another species must hurt but-"

"UNDERSTAND!" Vastra yelled, interupting the Doctor mid-sentence. "How can you understand, Doctor. You have no right coming to this planet and interfering. This is a matter for the Silurians and the humans alone."

"Vastra, I can understand." The Doctor pleaded. "My home was invaded too. My entire species was destroyed, as well as our planet, in a great war. If you attack these humans, it will have repercussions. A war between your people and the humans will begin but there will be no winner, only losers."

Vastra considered the Doctor's theory. The Silurians may have superior technology but the humans were scattered all over Earth. If a battle to wipe out the other race happened, there would be so much destruction. Even if the Silurians did win, what would there prize be? A war torn battlefield the size of a planet. Vastra would be the reason for the death of Earth.

"You are the last of your kind?" She asked.

The Doctor nodded. "And I wouldn't wish it on either the humans or the Silurians."

Vastra glared at the workers who had stopped their attempt to escape and were instead cowering behind the Doctor. "But it isn't fair. Why do they deserve to live on the surface while my people hide in the dark underground. Humans are greedy. This sewer is a great example of their selfishness. They store all their waste products where they are out of sight. Where it can leak into the water or pollute the land."

The Doctor held up his hands. "Fair enough. It is pretty disgusting. What you don't know though is that only 500 hundred years ago, they were chucking it into the street where anyone could step on it." He shuddered at the thought. "At least in this sewer, it's in a place where that can be avoided. Give them a few more centuries and they'll be disintergrating."

"In a few centuries, Earth will be even more polluted." Vastra retorted. "The humans should be driven to extinction before my home is damaged anymore."

Vastra pulled her head back like a viper about to strike but the Doctor pulled out his sonic screwdriver first. With a flash of blue, the Silurian felt her tongue wrap around itself until she couldn't move it. She started to shriek in anger, incomprehensibly.

"I'm sorry, Vastra but I won't let you hurt anyone, no matter how much you want too." The Doctor told her bluntly.

"Ooo ha noh wiat." Vastra roared.

The Doctor pulled out a pair of handcuffs from one of his pockets and locked them around one of his wrists and one of hers. "But I do have the right, Vastra. I don't want to hurt you but I think that this might be the only way to get you to understand."

Then he went back along the corridor he had come from, Vastra having no choice but to follow or be dragged.

xxxxx

Vastra thought about how naive she'd been to attack the humans. If any of them had died, she could have doomed her entire kind. Ahead, the Darchund house loomed out of the fog. Lifting the latch on the entrance gate, she approached the front door. Checking to see if the lock or hinges had been damaged, she realised that both were intact. The door could have been replaced but it didn't taste new, it couldn't be any younger than 5 years. This proved that the murderer had been let in the house meaning that he had probably used the knocker.

Flicking out her tongue to taste the cool metal, she caught the scent of a number of people but by using her sharp taste receptors and the poster which had the date of the attack, she was able to make a rough guess of the murderer's taste. Turning away from the house, she closed her eyes and focused on following the taste. It was very weak and would have faded by morning but she could still detect a trail.

Relying on taste alone, she hurried through the alley way that only days before had been the escape route of a murdering thief.

xxxxx

After twisting and turning through the dark tunnels, the Doctor stopped in front of a large blue box. Fishing a key out of his pocket, he unlocked the doors and dragged Vastra inside.

What she saw took her breath away.

"The technology to make this happen must be thousands of years ahead than that of my species." She gasped, as she looked around the inside of the box which was larger than the outside. "Is this your ship?"

"Yep, this is the TARDIS." The Doctor grinned, glad that she didn't seem angry at him for the moment. "It can travel through both space and time which is why we're here. I want to show you something."

With the speed of someone who knew what he was doing, the Doctor raced around the center column, pushing buttons and twisting levers. With a jerk, the TARDIS started to roar as the column went up and down. Outside in the sewer, the blue box vanished.

"But why is a time traveller on Earth? You could go to thousands of other worlds. Ones without humans." Vastra asked.

The Doctor beamed at the Silurian for simply being curious. "Well I've got a little soft spot for your home. I like to make sure that everything's safe here."

Vastra nodded. "Can't you go back in time to visit your planet?"

"No, a time lock was placed on Gallifrey to avoid any misuse of time travel during the war." The Doctor explained.

"Gallifrey. A nice name." Vastra stated.

With a final tremble, the TARDIS stopped moving. The Doctor immediately charged towards the doors but when Vastra fell over due to the handcuffs, he apoligised, unlocked them and helped her up.

He then stood in front of the doors, the schoolboy grin on his face. "I present to you, the Dawn of Earth."

Vastra stared in wonder as the doors were opened and she looked out into a large, prehistoric forest. The sounds, smells and tastes of so many creatures was something that Vastra had never witnessed before. It was a thing she would never forget.

The Doctor walked out of the TARDIS and lifted up his arms. "Earth, hundreds of millions of years before humans were even mammals."

Vastra turned to the Doctor, the reason why she was here forming. "Hold on, that means that-"

"Exactly, now let's go." And grabbing her hand, they ran deeper into the forest.

The trees grew close together so the pair got a few scratches before reaching a ledge above a clearing. Below, humanoid people which seemed to have coral like skin were doing certain jobs. Some were making tools while others were cleaning out carcasses. They all had a small third eye on their forehead.

"Vastra, do you know who they are?" The Doctor asked.

The reptile nodded. "They are Silurians. The Silurians of the ancient past."

A/N: Chapter 1 is finally done. Thank you, Pachysam for reviewing. I particularly like your idea of Jackson and Rosita making an appearance :). Next chapter introduces Jenny and why Vastra decided to stay on the surface. Please review, any criticisms are welcome.


	2. Chapter 2

In need of a Doctor

The gentle splash of waves slapping the wooden walk way beneath Vastra's feet unnerved the woman. She had never been near many bodies of water let alone a river that seemed to stretch like a giant murky snake. The damp air on her tongue sensed the arrival of rain. The Doctor had warned that England was known for its rainy weather but another down pour would wash the trail away. She increased her pace.

Turning down a gap in between two warehouses, Vastra heard the creak of a rusty door opening. Peering around the corner, she saw the retreating back of a heavily built man. Just like the poster's description of the murderer.

Cautiously, Vastra crept towards the metal door that the man had come out of. She was so focused on checking to make sure that he wasn't returning that she didn't notice another figure approaching until she bumped into them.

Ashamed that she had yelled out in surprise, Vastra turned to face the stranger after holding onto her hood to avoid it falling down and revealing her reptilian features.

In front of her stood a young dark haired woman. Her deep brown eyes contrasted well with her creamy skin and she wore very damp, poor quality clothes. For a moment, her features showed fear but she quickly changed them to a brave almost denying expression.

"Who are you?" She demanded in a strong Cockney accent.

"I could ask you the same question." Vastra replied. The girl's face showed relief, probably at Vastra's female voice. This increased the reptile's respect for her. Even though Silurians aren't sexist, Vastra knew that men were the more powerful gender here so for a young woman to come to the docks alone at night showed immense courage.

"My name's Jenny. You sound a bit posh. Why's a respectable lady like yourself in such a shady part of town like here?" She asked, suspiciously.

Vastra brushed a few pieces of invisible dirt off her robe. "I am Madame Vastra. I investigate mysteries. Would you know of any?" She secretly congratulated herself on her ability to make up lies.

Jenny seemed convinced, if a little sceptical. "As a matter of fact, I do. Have you heard of the Darchund family?"

Vastra's ears perked up... Well they would if she had any. "No, I haven't." She lied. "Care to explain?"

"Well two nights ago, the entire Darchund family were murdered. There silver ware was stolen but one of their servants was kidnapped. That's why I'm here; I think that he's in this warehouse." Jenny explained.

Vastra tilted her head slightly, but still careful so as not to reveal her face. "Well then, how about we rescue him?"

Vastra didn't know why she was asking this human to work with her. The Doctor may have changed her murderous views towards the primates but she still wasn't sure about making friends with one. Jenny seemed different though, trustworthy, brave and in the dim light, rather attractive. Besides, she might have more information on the killer.

Jenny considered her proposal for a moment before nodding. "That sounds like an idea. Right, shall we get inside this place then?" She jerked her thumb at the warehouse.

Flinching when the door creaked loudly, the two women were surprised to find that it was unlocked. If a kidnapper doesn't bother locking the door then it generally meant that the kidnapped wouldn't be able to escape anyway...

xxxxx

"So what do you think of your ancestors?" The Doctor asked as they gazed down at the ancient Silurians.

Vastra hesitated. "They are different. I didn't expect the third eye."

The Doctor laughed. "I'm not sure why you originally had one to be honest. Must have been a bit useless if you de-evolved it."

"Yes, it does seem to be." Vastra smiled. "Anyway Doctor, are you going to tell me why we're here?"

"You're smart enough to already know, Vastra." Replied the Doctor. "I want to show you how similar humans and Silurians are."

Vastra snorted. "We may both have two legs but my people have got no other similarities with the humans."

"Really? Well those Silurians down there seem a bit primitive in my opinion. Nowhere near as advanced as you." The Doctor responded.

"They will be though." Vastra retorted.

The Doctor grinned in satisfaction. "Exactly, and one day the humans will reach for the stars. They may be just stupid apes now but they will grow just like those three eyed Silurians will."

"Oh well done, Doctor." Vastra scowled. "Are you finished now or do you want to gloat?"

"Just a minute then we'll be off." He said, jumping to his feet. Putting his hands to his mouth, he yelled "HEY, SILURIANS."

At once, every single three eyed Silurian looked up to where the Doctor and Vastra were. Roaring in outrage they grabbed sharpened sticks and galloped towards them.

"What have you done?" Vastra gasped. Giving her a grin, he grabbed her hand and they ran back through the trees to the TARDIS.

The snapping of branches behind them signalled that the Silurians were in pursuit. A spear flew over the Doctor's shoulder and embedded itself in a tree.

"Still think that they aren't human like?" He yelled, as they leapt over a log.

Vastra couldn't resist a smile at the man's insane but witty approach to changing people's minds. "Yes, they are far too attractive."

Laughing, he pulled her through a bush and into the welcoming blue of the TARDIS. Expecting it to be open, the Doctor slammed into the locked doors. A look of horror and surprise sprung to his face as he dived his hand into his pocket in search of the key.

The Silurians cheered triumphantly as they saw that their prey was trapped. Spreading out so that the time travellers were surrounded, they charged, spear first.

Vastra felt the Doctor's warm blooded hand clasp hers again as he dragged her into the TARDIS, not a moment too soon. Their backs against the doors, they slid to the floor and looked at each other before bursting into a fit of laughter.

xxxxx

The dark warehouse was empty of all noise except for the annoying, repetitive drip of water from a hole in the roof. Vastra and Jenny struggled to make out any shapes in the shadow invested building so a few tins and loose objects were knocked by their feet.

Turning away from Jenny, Vastra tasted the air. Sensing the bitter taste of iron, she guessed that the warehouse was storage for metal. However she could faintly taste a human behind some crates. It matched what she'd tasted when following the murderer's trail.

"Do you think he's still alive?" Jenny whispered suddenly.

Vastra turned back to face the woman. "The servant? Probably, I can't think why he would be kidnapped if the killer would only murder him. He may be injured though."

Jenny nodded. "That would explain the unlocked door."

As they entered another corridor of crates, a figure lying on the ground came into view. Jenny let out a yell before running towards him and enveloping him into a tight embrace.

"Oh thank God, I thought you were dead." Jenny exclaimed.

"I will be if you don't stop hugging me." He groaned.

He seemed a bit calm in Vastra's opinion. She knew that people reacted differently but he didn't seem too bothered about being kidnapped. Then she noticed that he wasn't tied up or injured. Something wasn't right.

"Are you alright?" Jenny asked. "He didn't hurt you did he?"

The kidnapped servant slowly stood up. "No, I'm fine Jen." He nodded in the direction of Vastra. "Who're you?"

"I am Madame Vastra. I helped your... friend to find you." Vastra explained.

Jenny smiled. "Yeah she solves mysteries. I bumped into her outside."

Vastra gave the girl a warning look but she only frowned back in confusion. The damage was already done however.

"You're a detective?" The servant asked with a hint of worry in his voice. "Well the guy who kidnapped me put all the stolen silverware behind that crate."

Vastra shrugged. "Okay."

"It's pretty valuable so you should probably get it." The servant explained.

"Nick, it doesn't matter. The only important thing is to get you out of here before the murderer comes back." Jenny said while pulling Nick the servant towards the exit.

"Jenny, wait a minute." Vastra commanded.

The young woman turned back to look at Vastra. "We don't have time. That murderer could be back any minute."

The Silurian tried to warn Jenny but didn't succeed for the man who matched the description of the wanted poster had already loomed out of the shadows behind the girl and Nick, and grabbed the servant's arm. Jenny looked over her shoulder, and to her horror, into the barrel of a pistol.

"Nick, I told you not to let anyone in here." The thickset man who was obviously younger than he had been made out to be in his poster said angrily.

Nick, who was standing behind his kidnapper, looked at the ground shyly. "I'm sorry Derek, they kinda let themselves in."

Jenny looked at them both in shock. "Nick, you're helping him? How can you be helping him?"

"I'm sorry, Jenny, I swear I didn't want anyone to be killed." Nick started.

"Don't lie, Nick." Derek the kidnapper snarled. "You were always moaning about how they treated you like dirt. Well now they've got what they deserved and we can leave London and start afresh. The silver I stole will be enough to get a home for us."

He glanced back at Jenny who looked like she was about to cry or scream in the next second. "You'll regret interfering. I'm sorry, but I'm not going to prison."

As his finger pulled down on the trigger, Vastra prepared herself. The bullet launched itself into the air just as the reptile fired her tongue, knocking it of course. A ting echoed around the warehouse as the bullet embedded itself into the side of a crate after having narrowly avoided Jenny's forehead.

Derek's mouth was wide open as he stared at the darkness of the hood where the tongue had fled into. With a smack, he collapsed to the floor as the tongue came out once again, leaving a nasty lump just above his eye.

Jenny appeared to have been too busy seeing her life flash before her eyes to notice the rocket like tongue that had saved her live and sent a man to the ground. Nick however pulled Jenny towards the door with an accusing finger aimed at Vastra.

"Demon! You're a demon!" Nick exclaimed, gasping due to the panic this new information caused.

Vastra stepped forward, an explanation on the end of her incredibly long tongue. Due to Derek's firm grip striking her ankle however, she fell to the floor before she could begin. As she rolled over, the hood sprung free from covering her face.

"She is a demon!" Derek yelled as he got to his feet, gun pointed at Vastra. "Well you aren't taking my soul. Get back to hell you monster."

Everything seemed to freeze when the bullet burst from the pistol aiming for Vastra's heart. Jenny's scream seemed endless. The glare of hatred that Derek gave the Silurian lasted an eternity. Maybe it was better this way. And as the bullet raced towards her but still remained frozen in time Vastra wondered whether the Doctor had been right at all.

A/N: Sorry for the cliffhanger but I'm evil :P. OK final chapter next and then some thinking about whether this should become a series or not. Please review whether you would like more Vastra and Jenny adventures or any other criticisms.


	3. Chapter 3

In need of a Doctor

A/N: Sorry for taking so long. No excuse, just typing real slow. I'll organise a schedule for the next story so that it is updated quicker. I can empathise with people who are waiting for a story to be updated. I've also decided that this is a the prologue story to the Silurian detective series which is why it is now only called "In need of a Doctor". Please enjoy the final chapter.

Vastra had found a chair that looked so ordinary it only increased the uniqueness of the TARDIS. Sitting down on it, she checked that the thorny branch that had torn the arm of her long sleeved shirt that was favoured by the Silurian civilians hadn't pierced her scales. A slight scratch was all she could see. Evolution had given the Silurians one of the hardest of natural armours.

The Doctor, who had been running around the console again, flicking switches and pushing buttons, suddenly stopped and turned to face her. "So then Vastra, what next?" He asked.

"Yes, what next?" She agreed.

The Doctor leant against the vibrating TARDIS console. "Well to be honest I was thinking of visiting the blinking triplet suns of the Pandama galaxy. You could come too if you'd like?"

Vastra shook her head gently. "Doctor, I was taught at a young age about how my people couldn't return to the surface because another species had already over run it. The humans may be quite barbaric but when I attacked those workers in the sewer, I was no better than they. I come from a more advanced civilisation but when I lost control of my anger, I acted foolishly and violently. Just like my ancestors." She sighed. "Those workers will probably be at home, telling their families about the monster under the ground. So in order to make up for my mistakes, I am going to remain on the surface. By helping the humans to grow and learn, maybe one day we can share this planet. Humans and Silurians united."

The Doctor listened to her speech in silence, his smile become more profound by every word. "Vastra, if the humans discover you, then the rest of your life could be spent in a zoo or a laboratory. If that happens then I won't be able to save you. Are you sure you want this?"

"What I did Doctor was unforgivable to both myself and the humans. I still find humans repulsive but I do not hate them, not when I saw how human I acted before. Besides it's better than sleeping in one of those containers for another decade." She finished with a small smile.

"Well then Vastra, I've gotta say that I have never seen such a change in anyone before. Well I have but not such a big one and in such little time. I can't think of a better person to help human kind advance into the incredible species they are going to become." Pulling one of the many levers down, the TARDIS started its deep hum. "Next stop planet Earth."

Vastra had stood up during her speech but now that it was over, she went to sit down again. The Doctor didn't give her a chance however but grabbed her hand and pulled her up one of the many staircases.

"Doctor, where are we going?" She asked as they ran along many corridors, some the same others completely different.

"You will soon see. Not far now." He yelled over his shoulder, quickly turning into a room which had a wire fence painted on the walls and a large net stretched in the middle.

Vastra went to open her mouth but the Doctor already answered the question she was about to ask. "Tennis court, maybe you should give it a go on Earth."

After a few more rooms and corridors they reached a chamber absolutely full of clothes. The stairs that wound up and down only emphasised the amount of body wear that was in the room.

"Welcome to my wardrobe." The Doctor grinned.

"This is a wardrobe?" Vastra replied, feeling a silk kimono.

"Yes it is." The Doctor answered causing Vastra to look at him only to jump back in surprise at the terrifying mask that covered his face.

He quickly pulled the mask off and held it out to her. "Wotcha think? Ancient roman death mask. I don't know why I've got one though."

Vastra shook her head at his attempt to give her the mask. "I'm not a mask person."

"Well how about this?" He asked, pulling out a deep red robe. Vastra looked impressed as she took it from his hands and put it on.

"What do you think?" She said as she lifted up the hood to cover her face.

The Doctor grinned. "It's Victorian style, covers your face but most importantly it looks good."

Vastra pointed in the direction of the door that they'd come through. "Shall we go then?"

The Doctor nodded so they headed back to the TARDIS console this time without hurrying. When they arrived, the Doctor pushed a couple of buttons before the TARDIS clunked at the sign of a safe landing.

Pushing open the doors, the Doctor stepped out into the foggy night of Victorian London. Vastra came out and stood beside him, her hood still up.

"Are you sure that you don't want to wait until day?" The Doctor asked.

Vastra shook her head. "It'll be easier to find somewhere to stay at night. Less people to notice me."

"OK then, just be careful. You know how unfriendly humans can be. That doesn't mean that you won't make friends here, Vastra. I think that you're going to have a happy life here. Even find a home." The Doctor said as he rested a hand on her shoulder. "And if not you can always find a way back to your people underground."

The young Silurian gazed up through the fog into the night sky above, watching the stars twinkling. "Thank you, Doctor, for everything you've done for me. I'm indebted to you."

The Doctor scratched his head awkwardly. "Vastra I help people not so that they can help me one day but because I enjoy it. You owe me nothing." He turned back to the TARDIS and stood in its open doorway. "Meet me in Hyde park in three days. I'd like to see how you're doing in such a new world."

Vastra smiled. "I will see you then, Doctor."

With a final flash of teeth, the time traveller closed the TARDIS doors behind him. The light on the TARDIS flashed and it let out whine as it vanished from sight. Vastra looked about the quiet back street she was in and after spotting a larger road, she headed towards it.

The hooded reptile ran across the road, narrowly avoiding a thunderous carriage...

xxxxx

Jenny felt her mouth open and a scream leave her throat. She didn't know whether it was because the woman who she had just met had turned out to not be human or because said woman was about to be killed.

What she didn't understand though was how Vastra had been so human. If her hood hadn't fallen down then Jenny would have still thought her human. Which now made the fact that Vastra was about to be murdered even worse. Because she was going to be murdered just like a human. No matter what she looked like, Jenny couldn't bear for her to be killed.

Pushing Nick's arm off her shoulder, she charged towards Derek in an attempt to grab the gun. She was jerked back by Nick's strong grip on her wrist. Pulling back her fist she hit him squarely in the jaw. He let out a yell but retained his hold on Jenny. Deciding to yank him forward, Jenny stuck out her foot sending him tumbling.

Jenny gasped in horror as the servant fell in front of Vastra and into the path of the bullet.

Derek threw the gun away and looked at his hands, almost as if he were blaming them for what he had done. Glancing down at the pool of blood that had leaked from Nick and onto Derek's trousers, he let out a gagging noise before running out of the warehouse, not looking back once.

Clasping the young man's hand, Jenny knelt down beside him, tears already filling her eyes. Vastra pulled her legs out from under Nick's body and checked his injury. The bullet was wedged into his chest, blood escaping from a broken artery by the heart. Even if they could get help, it wouldn't be enough to save him.

"Nick, you can't go. You can't leave me." Jenny sobbed.

The man's face scrunched up in pain. "I'm sorry, Jenny. This is my own fault but Derek he was so charming, I thought that he wouldn't hurt anyone. Now look at what's happened."

"What were you planning on doing here though?" Jenny asked.

"We were hiding here until we could get a place on a ship." Nick explained. "We were going to find a home for ourselves, far away. He was different to other people but now that I think about it, he probably didn't even love me."

Jenny felt her eyebrows rise despite the seriousness of the conversation. "Loved you? Did you love him?"

Nick nodded sadly. "London is so horrible. All of England is. This stupid country doesn't understand love at all. It's all about being proper but all it does is make people feel rejected."

"The silver. Was it in the plan to steal it?" Vastra asked gently.

Nick looked at Vastra but appeared too weak to care about Vastra's reptilian appearance. "We needed it to get passage on a ship and then to later get a house. I didn't want anyone to be killed but I was always saying how much I hated my employers so Derek killed them anyway."

The young servant started to cough, blood dripping from his lips. Jenny squeezed his hand. "What about me though? How could you leave your own sister alone?"

Tears started leaking from Nick's dying eyes. "I'm sorry, Jenny I really am. We only had each other and I was going to leave you alone. I'm so selfish."

"You just wanted to be happy. I would have done the same." Jenny stroked his face. "Sleep now, little brother. You can be free."

Nick gazed up at his sister for a minute, little more blood left to escape. With a final sigh, the young man's chest stopped moving. Jenny clutched his hand to her face as her tears released like a full rain cloud.

Vastra stared at the ground, giving the girl some time to recover. After a few minutes had passed she spoke. "Jenny, I think that we should probably get some help." She said gently.

The young woman shook her head. "I don't want Nick to be known as a criminal. Can you help me take him to this place that was special to both of us? Please, just don't say that Nick was involved with the murderer."

Vastra pointed to her face. "I hope this place isn't in public."

Standing up, Jenny rested her head against a crate and sighed."It isn't, just keep your hood up."

"After this, I'm assuming that we will be getting the house?" Vastra asked.

Glancing back at the Silurian, Jenny nodded. "Well I will need a place to live but why do you?"

Vastra shrugged. "The home of my people wasn't for me. We'll talk about this later." Scooping Nick into her arms, she approached the door. "I hope this place isn't too far away."

"Don't worry, no one will notice us." Jenny said as she opened the door. Vastra stepped out into the now heavy rain, her human companion darting ahead.

After following Jenny down a maze of alleyways, Vastra eventually came out into a field. The sudden change of surroundings stunned Vastra.

"How under Earth did we get here?" Vastra gasped.

"This field is used for growing fresh vegetables for posh folk. Anyway, we're here to get to that forest over there." Jenny pointed across the other side of the field.

Vastra noticed the scent of men on the other side of the fence that guarded the field. "It seems like there are guards here. How will we get past?"

"By being quiet. It was a game me and Nick played when we were little." Jenny explained sadly.

Vastra didn't want to go somewhere that was crawling with patrolling guards but Jenny seemed quite determined. The young woman moved a plank of wood to reveal a small hole through the fence.

"Jenny I won't be able to get through that." Vastra told the woman.

Jenny faced the reptile. "Well I'll go by myself then. Pass my brother through when I'm in. If that isn't too hard of course." She finished angrily.

Vastra watched as the human vanished into the gap and whispered for Vastra to pass the body. The Silurian sighed but knew that she couldn't leave the poor girl by herself. Not after all she'd been through.

Digging her claws into the wooden fence, she started to heave herself and Nick's corpse up the fence. At the top, she jumped down to the other side, landing lightly on her feet. Jenny looked impresses but more relieved that Vastra wasn't going to leave her. She didn't want to be alone.

As the Silurian followed the human through the field of exotic and non-exotic vegetables, Vastra occasionally whispering to Jenny after tasting a guard up ahead, she realised how much sympathy she felt for the girl.

Vastra had no siblings due to a cave in that killed her parents and left her with little family left. She could relate to the pain of losing a loved one and of feeling alone. That was probably why the Doctor's care for the reptile had moved her so much.

After a long and cautious trek, Jenny entered a small wood. Looking around for a moment, she approached a tree with low branches.

"This is where Nick and me came as children. It was our own secret forest." She said as she brushed a tear out of her eye. "This is where I think he'd like to be buried."

Vastra nodded. "Do you want it by this tree?" She asked.

Jenny understood what Vastra meant. "Yes, we don't have any shovels though."

Vastra lowered Nick's body onto the ground. "Well I was always good at digging." She said, plunging her hands into the earth and scooping it out.

Concentrating on the task at hand, Vastra asked herself why she was helping a human when only hours before she had been hell bent on killing them all. She knew it was because of the Doctor's words and her empathy for Jenny but it was more than that.

Vastra had always seen the humans as upright beasts and even though the Doctor had changed that opinion she believed that the humans would see her as the beast. Jenny however had seemed incredibly surprised to discover that Madame Vastra wasn't human and yet she was allowing her to assist the woman in the burial of her brother. Vastra wanted to prove to Jenny that she wasn't an upright beast. She wanted to prove that she was a person.

After an uncomfortable hour of digging Vastra stood up and surveyed her handiwork. The grave was nowhere near as deep as one at a graveyard but it was a good attempt for one dug by hand.

Jenny, who had been stroking Nick's cold, wet hair for the entire time regarded the finished hole. Vastra offered the girl a hand which she took without a second glance before being pulled to her feet. Vastra took hold of Nick's shoulders and looked at Jenny for approval. Receiving a short nod, the reptile unceremoniously dragged the body into the pit.

Jenny crouched down over the hole and whispered something under her breath before dropping a handful of soil onto Nick's body. She then stood back up and started to push the pile of earth over the corpse. With help from Vastra, the hole was quickly filled.

Sighing heavily as her body started to tremble; Jenny leant against a tree for support. Vastra took the girl's hand which surprised both of them and squeezed gently.

"Let's go back to the Darchund's house. You need to rest." Vastra whispered.

Nodding, the young girl allowed her to be led out of the wood, through the field, past the fence and along the twisting labyrinth of streets before Vastra found the house thanks to her powerful sense of taste. Jenny handed over a spare key which let them gain entry. Finding the first bedroom she came to, Vastra lay the young human upon the bed and watched as she instantly fell asleep. The Silurian found a seat in the corner and eventually felt her own body sink into unconsciousness due to exhaustion.

xxxxx

"So where is Jenny now then?" The Doctor asked Vastra as they sat in the shade of a willow tree.

"She's at home resting." Vastra replied. "She still hadn't fully recovered from her brother's death when I asked her to go to the police so that we could get the house. I know that she's still grieving but if we didn't get the house then she would have nowhere to recover."

The Doctor crossed his arms across his chest and smiled at the Silurian. "You seem to care about Jenny. It's good that you both have each other though. You need a friendly human and she needs a friend to help her through this painful time."

"She certainly needs to be looked after. The poor girl's barely eating. Hopefully she'll get better but you know how grief can make people feel. This might hurt Jenny forever." Vastra said quietly.

"I'm sorry to say but it probably will." The Doctor answered sadly. "Losing someone you love is like losing a part of yourself. If she's got you though, I'm sure that she'll heal. So have you got any idea of a job yet?"

Vastra twirled a blade of grass around her finger before plucking it from the ground. "Finding out where Derek was hiding was easy but I never guessed that Nick might have been involved. Not until the end anyway. I thought because of that, I may be able to become a proper detective."

"A Silurian detective." The Doctor grinned. "Perfect. You'll be perfect."

"But it's more than solving mysteries. The Darchund's were only murdered because of Derek's desire to care for the man he loved. It's more sad than anything but if I could make a difference for the rejected people then it would make the surface one step more ready for the return of the Silurians." Vastra finished, smiling slightly.

The Doctor scratched his head. "I know that it is sad." He murmured. "But in a hundred years London will be a changed place. It might only happen because of what you did. We'll never know."

Rummaging into his pockets, the Doctor pulled out a piece of paper and handed it to the reptile. "This is the address of someone I met before. Tell him that I sent you. He could help you with your sleuthing. You may have Jenny but it can't be bad to have another friend too."

The Doctor leapt to his feet and grinned down at Vastra. "I said before about you finding a home, well now I'm certain of it. Enjoy every day, Madame Vastra."

Vastra watched as the Time Lord who had saved both the workers in the sewer and herself vanished into his blue box. The whine of the TARDIS began and the ship began to dematerialise.

"Thank you, Doctor." Vastra whispered. "Until we meet again."

When the time machine had gone, the Silurian detective left the cover of the willow tree, first checking that her hood covered her face. Jenny hadn't pushed her away so she would ensure that the human recovered. London had many mysteries to be solved but for the time being, Vastra needed to go home.

A/N: At last, finally done. So I hope that you enjoyed this prologue and that it has done justice to Vastra, Jenny and Ten. Please tell me what you think. I'll be taking a break from the first in the Silurian detective series that takes place after this story. I want to concentrate on my own story for a while and I'm going on holiday but Vastra and Jenny will return soon, this time with another character that exists in the Whoniverse. Can you guess who? Another known enemy will also take a big part. Until then, thanks for reading, please review.


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